Local StoriesFebruary 13, 2024

Exploring Life & Business with Travis McNamara of Arthouse Consulting

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Travis McNamara.

Travis McNamara

Hi Travis, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.

Sure. I’m a musician and a producer, and I also consult bands on how to raise money.

Cool. Let’s start with music.
Right on. Well, my career started with Trout Steak Revival, an indie bluegrass band out of Denver. We started as the house band at the Bucksnort Saloon out in Sphinx Park. We had the good fortune of winning the Telluride Bluegrass Festival Band Competition, and then getting to tour nationally. We toured in 44 states. I wrote songs, sang, and played banjo with them – some of my oldest friends. After going on a hiatus in the spring of 2023, I released a solo album I made over the pandemic called MOON CALENDAR. It was a longtime dream of mine, to play all the instruments on an album and record it all myself. Ended up being 17 instruments I think. I pressed it to vinyl and released it this past May at the Bluebird Theater, one of my favorite venues.
Most recently, I’ve begun producing records for other bands — a role I love.

That’s great. How did you get into your fundraising consulting work?

I have a background in nonprofit fundraising from PBS and the Denver Film Society. I began my work in crowdfunding by helping my own band run a couple of Kickstarter campaigns to make albums, doubling our fundraising goal and raising $36,000, and later $56,000. I started my business Arthouse Consulting to help my community of independent musicians learn how to raise money and do the things they want to do.

It started originally as my community service project. I got so tired of watching my friends fail at fundraising that I would just get a cup of coffee and advise them for free. Eventually, I got more interest than I had time, and Arthouse Consulting was born — originally from the back of the tour bus.

As you know, we’re big fans of Arthouse Consulting. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about the brand?

You bet. I help midsized bands of 3+ members produce successful Kickstarter campaigns of $25,000 or more. They are deep and close consulting relationships, so I only take on a few bands every year. As of today, we’ve raised $817,324 for independent bands, and are enjoying a 100% success rate.

I really love it — it feels like band building. Generally, I take bands through a 12-week process I developed to train bands to become fundraisers and stand up for their art in a way that feels good for them and their audience. It’s about creating win/win partnerships. It’s pretty relationship-centered work, so I really like it.

The high water mark so far has been helping the Flobots raise $81,565, barely edging out Wisconsin’s Them Coulee Boys, who raised $81,364. We also helped our first studio raise money for new gear, and are starting to branch out into some new verticals. I love hearing new ideas, and offer a free initial 30-min consultation so we can meet one another and get to know each other. I am currently accepting new clients for 2024. People can reach me at travis@arthouseconsulting.co.

Amazing! That is really inspiring work. Thanks for all you are doing to support the creative community.

Thanks for the chat! I appreciate the time.

Contact Info:

Website: www.arthouseconsulting.co
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/travis.mcnamara/?hl=en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/arthouseconsulting/
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0QwwrqR1x7rI0a0e8QbDcA

Image Credits
Tobin Voggesser, Scott McCormick, and Preston Utley

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